


Wildest Dreams

by yumenoyousei



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Cat Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Cat Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug), Clubbing, Co-workers, Designer Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Drunken Flirting, F/M, Hot Mess Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Lila Rossi Lies, Model Adrien Agreste, Or Is he?, Past Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Playboy Adrien Agreste, Unreliable Narrator, Workplace Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:07:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29736402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yumenoyousei/pseuds/yumenoyousei
Summary: Marinette met Adrien 6 years ago while winning the Gabriel hat challenge. She falls a little too hard on the nice model and starts a big crush on him, even if she previously had no interest in boys.Now, she has to work with him as a partnership with Gabriel and her brand Miraculous, which by the way started as a help for her ex-boyfriend.Too bad Adrien is now a playboy. (Or is he?)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 19
Kudos: 59





	1. Prologue - Crush On You

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while that I published a story that I have no clue where I'm going with. lol  
> I'm aiming for 5~6 chapters and have key scenes but the rest is pretty in the dark.
> 
> Anyway, the title comes from 'Wildest Dreams' by Taylor Swift because most songs from Taylor Swift have an Adrinette vibe lol
> 
> I hope you like it!

Marinette would always remember the second time she met Adrien Agreste.

The first time had been forgettable. She was 15 years old but at the time, she had cared less for the younger Agreste and was way more focused on impressing her fashion idol with a bowler hat design for a young designer competition.

Her disinterest in the teenage boy also came from Chloe who had squealed to anyone, even those who didn’t want to listen, on how she and Adrien were the ‘bestest of friends’.

The day of the competition, she had glimpsed at the teen, she vaguely remembered his face from magazines, but Chloe had been all over him and that had been the biggest turnoff.

It didn’t help that Chloe had copied her design.

Thankfully, years of being bullied by said girl had taught Marinette to always put her name somewhere in her designs which Gabriel Agreste, her idol, had said was good craftsman.

She won the competition and was invited to the next Gabriel show to see her hat on the runaway.

Which brought her to the second time she met Adrien Agreste.

She had been in awe over the runaway. One of the Gabriel staff had shown her around the backstage. Adrien first approached her that time.

“I never had the chance to congratulate you for winning the competition.”

Marinette had nodded, people assuming because she was shy but it was really because she didn’t want anything with Chloe’s friends.

“Also, thank you for changing the feather with an artificial one.”

She had shrugged. “It doesn’t change the design.”

They had stayed a moment in an awkward silence before more staff came to whisk Adrien away.

Then the incident happened.

In all honesty, Marinette didn’t remember how the incident happened. She had been too in awe with all the designs and all the important people wanting to talk to her, including Audrey Bourgeois.

She had seen Chloe fuming on the side but had barely paid attention to the blonde:Marinette’s mistake.

Before she knew it, her dress, that she had worked so hard to finish for the event, had been drench in red wine.

Marinette knew she was clumsy, but she also knew that she had been tripped. The dark-haired girl had stayed a moment frozen, her cheeks red with mortification.

Before she understood what was happening, a hand had pulled her away from the attention and brought her backstage.

“Can we find her something to wear?”

At that voice, Marinette finally had looked up.

Adrien had sat next to her while staff went looking for something. Marinette had been looking at the boy in shock and disbelief as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Sorry about Chloe,” he had said. “I feel like I could've prevented it. I was so mad at her for copying your design that I’ve been ignoring her even with her mom around and…” he had sighed.

“It’s not your fault,” Marinette had replied. “She never liked me.”

“Why?”

Marinette had shrugged. “I don’t know. But she’s been on my case since 3rd grade so I’m just used to it at this point.”

“You shouldn’t have to.”

“I know. I’m slowly trying to fight back.”

Adrien had stayed silent for a moment. “You’re amazing.”

Marinette had blushed. “What?”

“You tried to put up with it but you’re learning to do something about it. It’s very impressive.”

“It’s not really. I’m just a pushover.”

Adrien had snorted. “If you are a pushover, then I don’t know what I am.”

Before Marinette could ask what he had meant, the staff had come back with a beautiful red dress. “I can’t possibly…”

“It’s a gift, please take it.”

Marinette had looked at the dress then at Adrien. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Marinette quickly went to change. She was giddy of being in a Gabriel dress, which she never would’ve been able to afford.

“Wow,” Adrien had said when she went out of the dressing room. “They really gift their best. No time like a present!”

Marinette was about to say thank you when she froze. “Did you just pun?”

Adrien had smiled albeit shyly. “Usually people don’t pick it up.”

She laughed. “My father loves puns.”

“A man of culture.”

She had groaned. “No. He’s a baker. I heard all there is to pun with a bakery.”

“I don’t dough it.”

She had groaned once more and he had laughed. It had been such a beautiful carefree laughter. Marinette blushed, suddenly having butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

They had stayed the rest of the event sticking together, making puns every time an adult wasn’t listening.

Marinette always regretted not asking for his contact information that night. Of course, it wasn’t like she could’ve asked Chloe.

Thus began Marinette very much embarrassing “Adrien phase” as Alya liked to call it, where part of her wall was covered with his face and she kept daydreaming of Adrien suddenly knocking at her door to declare his underlying love for her.

However, by the time they were 18, Adrien had started to have a reputation of breaking hearts left and right. He was often in tabloids, with a new girl at his arm, rumoured to party hard. Marinette had refused to believe those at first, incapable to match the young boy with the innocent laugh with the playboy the media portrayed. But even Chloe had mentioned how much Adrien had changed.

Marinette founded herself having to face reality.

Of course, even if Marinette was handpicked by Audrey Bourgeois to develop her fashion sense and that she was creating quite a name for herself as a designer, she never crossed paths with Adrien again.

That was, until now.


	2. Welcome to Gabriel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette's first meeting at Gabriel.

Marinette’s foot was tapping nervously.

She wasn’t sure if it was because of the secretary’s judging look or the way too huge to be necessary sexy shot of Adrien in the lobby, staring down at her.

Alya had forced her to take a shot of tequila before going in which had calmed her but she should’ve known that just being there would bring her nerves back to the roof.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng?”

Marinette looked up at Gabriel’s personal assistant, Nathalie, if Marinette remembered correctly. “Yes!” She stood up.

“Please follow me.”

She followed the woman to the elevator. They went up to the 20th floor, the highest of the building, then to a huge meeting room. Gabriel was already there, sitting at the end of a huge table.

Two people, a woman and a man, that she didn’t recognize were also at the table. Marinette remarked that a chair was opened at Gabriel’s right.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng, glad to see you again.”

Marinette smiled, a part of her fangirling that Gabriel Agreste remembered her. “I’m so honoured by this chance.”

“Please sit down.”

Marinette sat at the chair next to the woman who smiled at her.

“Meet Carole Desmarais and Pierre Lancelot. Carole is the stylist on most, if not all, Gabriel photoshoot, while Pierre is the pattern maker.”

“Nice to meet you,” Marinette said.

“They will be working with you for the Miraculous line.”

Marinette nodded.

“I love the base concept already,” Carole said, smiling brightly. She seemed to be buzzing with excitement. “From what I’ve seen from your website, you usually have a grasp of your style and how to arrange them, I’m just here to boost up, give you advice, that sort of thing.”

Marinette nodded again, seeming lost at words.

“And as a pattern maker, I help to make sure the material flows, everything fits. We will be together a lot to shop for fabric.”

“We are just here to support you, I’m guessing you’ve been doing everything by yourself so far.”

“Yes, it is kind of overwhelming,” Marinette replied.

“It’s okay. You do you, but we will help every step,” Carole put her hand on her shoulder, making Marinette smile.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng, as specified in the contract, Miraculous is a sub-brand of Gabriel but you have total control of it. I will only scarcely put an input.”

“That’s a lot of trust on a 21-year-old girl,” Marinette can’t help but let out. She blushed at the own words.

“Yes, it is. But you have shown talent since I saw your first design and you’ve only flourished since. I have total trust in your fashion sense and how Miraculous will bring fresh air to Gabriel.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. Even with the overwhelming sense of responsibility, pride in her work was also bubbling.

“For the marketing…”

The door opened, interrupting Gabriel.

“Sorry I’m late,” the new person said and Marinette could only gape.

Adrien Agreste entered as if he had no care in the world. His button-up shirt had no tie, even the 3 first buttons were unbuttoned, his hair in disarray.

Long gone were the full cheekbones and innocent smile that Marinette had once crushed on. No, now Adrien Agreste was walking sin. Strong jaw, square shoulder, a smile that could make most panties drop and pants tighten.

Even if after the ‘Adrien phase’ Marinette had tried her best to avoid looking at him, she couldn’t deny how hot he had become.

“Glad you are finally joining us, Adrien,” Gabriel said, sarcasm dripping strong in his tone.

“You are the one who told me to go to the Dolce & Gabbana launch party, don’t be mad that I’m late in the morning,” Adrien replied, tone as snippy as his father.

Marinette’s guts squeezed as she realized the rumours were indeed true. She had always hoped that it was a lie, even if she was over her ‘Adrien phase’.

Adrien’s eyes swept the room and quickly locked on her. She blushed but refused to back down. If she looked down now, she would never be able to work with him. She gave out a small smile and a nod. He smiled back.

_I’m so screwed._

“As I was saying,” Gabriel said after a moment, “Adrien will not only be the male face of Miraculous, he will also help marketing as an intern.”

Marinette looked back at Gabriel, _shoot I was staring_ , surprised. “Intern?” She piped in.

“Yes, he is studying business in university and will eventually inherit the company,” he looked sternly at his son. “Learning how to market a sub-brand is a great way to see how it is made.”

Marinette almost missed how Adrien rolled his eyes.

“And you are a fan of the brand.”

Marinette looked back at Adrien and he smiled at her, sheepish.

“As for the main female model, I was thinking of Lila Rossi,” Gabriel continued.

Adrien, Pierre and Carole winced. “Maybe…” Carole started but Adrien stopped her with a hand.

“Lila has been doing a lot of femme fatale shoots lately, I do not think she fits the Miraculous image,” Adrien pointed out.

“Why is that?”

“The main visual for Miraculous has always been Ladybug and Chat Noir, the characters. While Chat Noir is a flirty cat, Ladybug is shyer which brings the contrast with her heroism in the stories. I think fans of the brand, especially those who have been following since the beginning would want to see that reflected in the brand.”

“I agree,” Marinette piped in. She once more flushed as the attention was on her. “While I do not know Miss Rossi, I do know her sexy image, which is not what I had for Ladybug. It’s embarrassing but the Ladybug character was originally based on me so I would prefer to see someone more…”

“Pure?” Adrien proposed.

“Simple,” Marinette replied. _I must be so red right now_. “Like someone who doesn’t hit you as a showstopper.” She paused. “I would also appreciate if she’s a woman of colour, even more, if she had Asian features.”

Gabriel nodded. “I will leave the choice of the female model to you and Adrien then. Only from the Gabriel exclusive models.”

Marinette nodded.

“Can I ask who Chat Noir was originally based on?” Adrien asked. “I don’t want fans to be upset.”

Marinette considered lying for a moment before she gathered her courage and said: “Actually it’s perfect because Chat Noir was based on you.”

Adrien blinked, his face clearly showing his shock.

“It’s actually a funny story. My… the creator of the comic saw me looking at a Gabriel advertisement back in lycée, since I was always a fan of the brand and… thought I had a crush on Adrien,” which she did but she wouldn’t tell them that, “so he based the look on him.”

Adrien smiled, a real full face beaming smile, the one she remembered from that night 6 years ago. “Wow.”

Gabriel cleared his throat. “Now that those have been discussed, Claire, Pierre, please show Miss Dupain-Cheng her working space.” He looked at Marinette. “If there is anything, please contact Nathalie for an appointment.”

“Yes. Thank you again so much for this opportunity M. Agreste.”

For a split a second, Gabriel’s face soften. He then went back to his poker face and exited the room, Nathalie following him. “Adrien, my office.”

“Yes sir,” Adrien replied even if his whole demeanour showed boredom.

Carole smiled at her. “Your workspace is just next to mine so it’s going to be so fun!”

Marinette smiled back as they got up. “I’m sure I am going to cause a lot of trouble but…”

Carole let out a ‘pfft’. “We all cause trouble all the time but we are a team. You’ll have an assistant, and the person helping you with samples, Damien, is a literal angel, you’ll be fine.”

“And we are all already in love with your designs so don’t worry,” Pierre added. “We’ve got your back.”

Marinette almost felt like crying. “Thanks.”

“Marinette…”

She turned, more curious than shocked. Adrien looked sheepish, his hand going to his neck and she almost had a whiplash of the memories all those years ago. “That’s my name,” she managed to answer.

She vaguely saw Pierre and Carole exiting the room and Marinette could only hope they hadn’t gone far.

“Long time no see,” Adrien said.

“You remember…” she said a tad too in awe.

Adrien took a step closer to her. “Yeah, it was one of my best nights at a Gabriel event.”

_Why is he so tall? Why is he so tall? Why am I so turned on that he is so tall?_ “It can’t be that bad,” she let out, hoping that her internalized freak-out was not showing on her face.

“After being in so many, they all blur into the same boring thing.” He paused, looking her down and up.

_Is Adrien freaking Agreste checking me out? Noooooooo_

“I always regretted not getting your contact information that night.”

“Me too,” she said before she could stop herself.

He smiled, that smile that was borderline a smirk and she had to force herself not to squirm under his gaze. “Then maybe you should give it to me now, catch up on the lost time.”

_Oh god. Adrien Agreste is asking for my number._ “But… hum… we will be working together…”

“So?”

“So… isn’t unprofessional?”

“I won’t tell if you don’t.” He winked but instead of making her stomach flutter with butterflies, it gave her a bad aftertaste.

Does he do that with every pretty girl? “I think we should keep it professional.”

His expression sobered up. “Oh.”

“No offence or anything but we aren’t teenagers anymore and this is a huge opportunity that your father is giving me and…”

“No, I get it.” He paused. “But I swear, I just wanted to know more about you. How you got there… how you got to be the inspiration for Ladybug… how I got to be the inspiration for Chat Noir…”

“Oh…” _Of course, he’s not flirting with you, dummy. He dates models, not nobodies._ “What about we go to lunch next week and I tell you all about it while we decide on our main model?”

He smiled but it looked forced. “Yeah, sure.”

“You should go, your father didn’t look happy.”

He rolled his eyes. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

He went to the door and Marinette followed him.

“I’m really glad to see again Marinette.”

She smiled softly. “Me too, truly.” _Maybe I could truly give up on him this time_.

She ignored Carole's and Pierre's shit-eating grins as they went out of the meeting office. Adrien went left where Marinette could only assume Gabriel’s office was while she followed her new coworkers.

“What was that about?” Carole asked when they were in the elevator.

“We met before when we were 15.”

“And?”

Marinette shrugged. “Nothing. He just wanted to congratulate me on my success.”

She knew they didn’t believe her but didn’t push it.

“Whatever his dating history says, Adrien is a sweetheart so no one would blame you if you… get it on, if you know what I mean.”

“Carole!” Pierre exclaimed in fake outrage. “Don’t encourage her to sleep with her co-worker who is technically her boss’ son!” They went out of the elevator. “But really no one would blame you. I’m happily married but if I was only 10 years younger and single? I’d still tap that.”

Marinette let out an embarrassing squeal.

“Seriously, everyone around your age tried to get into his pants,” Carole said in a laugh.

“Did it work?” Marinette asked before she could stop herself.

Carole shrugged. “The rumours say that some did but it’s all rumours. No one actually knows. Adrien is very private. He doesn’t brag about his conquests so it’s their words against his silence.”

Marinette paused as Carole opened a door.

“There’s your office!”

“Oh my god.”

“Pretty neat right!” She pointed to the right, “I’m right there and Pierre is across the hall. Since we are the ones with the most experience on the team, we are your point of reference but everyone knows what they are doing so please, for the love of God, ask for help. Don’t take it all on your shoulders. We are here to help.”

“Thank you.”

“The fashion industry is vicious as it is and you are young. You are going to have haters. But I swear me and Pierre build a team that will support you. But…”

“But?”

“People outside the team will come by. They might hate you for your success, and now that Adrien has eyes on you?” She scoffed. “Even models will come for your head.”

Marinette wanted to say Adrien didn’t have 'eyes on her’ but Carole continued: “Be strong. Be courageous. And if someone stabs, stab harder.”

“Jesus, what are you teaching this girl?” Pierre laughed.

“Just the way to survive in this terrible industry.”

“Take whatever Carole says with caution. She tends to exaggerate.”

Carole rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s meet the team.”

She took Marinette in her arms and Marinette felt like this would be the start of a great adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like the idea of Adrien being a 188 cm (6ft2) giant and Marinette being a tiny 157 cm (5ft2). The reference I use for those heights is Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello lol
> 
> I must warn you that everything is written following Marinette's POV, so a big case of an unreliable narrator. 
> 
> Next Chapter: Marinette and Adrien have this lunch date (but it's not a _date_ date... maybe.)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. I Know Places

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small talk with Alya and Marinette's lunch ~~date~~ with Adrien!

“So, let me get that straight. You have a crush on the guy during all lycée and when he asked you out, you refused because you want to stay professional?”

Marinette groaned. “What you wanted me to do Alya? My whole career is dependent on his father. I fuck up and I can say bye-bye to being a fashion designer!”

“What I wanted you to do is get the chance to jump on his dick!”

Alya laughed as Marinette groaned into Tikki. The orange tabby cat barely moving from her master’s lap even with Marinette’s grand gestures, even purring at Marinette’s laments.

“M, I’m joking.”

“No, you’re not.”

“No, I’m not because you’ve been thirsty for the boy before you even understood what thirsty meant. So why not go on a date? Have fun with him? From what you heard from your colleagues, even if he is kind of a Don Juan, he never is unprofessional.”

“He’s not the problem, Alya. I am. If I let go of those… feelings inside me, I am the one who won’t be able to be professional.”

Alya took a moment before answering: “M, you’re not seriously… in love with him, right?”

“What? No!” She stopped at Alya’s unconvinced look. “No! It’s pure lust. And even before, it was only a crush! It’s not like I knew… I know the guy…” She petted Tikki. “I thought it was love but clearly it wasn’t.”

The two girls stayed silent for a moment, whatever trash show they had put on playing in the background. “Have you spoken with Nathaniel since?”

Marinette sinked in the couch. “I texted him about Miraculous being under Gabriel. He told me congrats.”

“That’s it?”

Marinette shrugged and Alya didn’t push. Nathaniel was still a sore subject.

“Have you spoken with Luka?”

Marinette groaned, sinking even further into the couch. “No.”

“M!”

“I know! I know!”

“No, you obviously don’t know!”

Marinette glared at Alya. “It was a mistake to go on a date with him in the first place.”

“Marinette, you will never get over anyone if you don’t put yourself out there.”

“But I don’t see Luka like that! I don’t want to repeat the Nathaniel saga.”

That shut Alya up.

“I know you mean well, but clearly dating guys and seeing how it goes doesn’t work for me. I either like them or I don’t.”

“Like Adrien?”

Marinette bit her lip before saying something she’ll regret.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“No, you are right. You have to go at your own pace. But you have to call Luka and tell him.”

Marinette put Tikki down and went to hug Alya. “What would I do without you?”

“You'd pass your days panicking.”

Marinette snorted.

They stayed a moment cuddling before Alya said: “You sure you don’t want to jump on Adrien’s dick?”

“Alya!”

-

The first few days at Gabriel had been chaotic. So many people to talk to, so many things to plan, design, replan, redesign… She barely had been able to keep afloat, even less think about Adrien (even if she always did a double-take with that new damn too big to ignore sexy shot in the lobby).

That was why it came as a surprise when Adrien knocked on her door on Thursday at 11:30.

“Hey!”

Marinette froze for a second. “Hey.”

“I was wondering if you’d be free today for that lunch we promised.”

Marinette bit her bottom lip. “I’m not sure…”

“It’s okay Marinette! You can take your lunch break!” Carole said as she suddenly popped out. “We won’t be able to get anything going before we hear from the manufactories. Take your time! We’re already way early in the schedule.”

Adrien turned to her, eyes lighting up like a kid by the Christmas tree. Carole winked behind him.

“Okay!” She said, hoping her smile was not as strained as she felt.

She couldn’t help but feel all the eyes on her as Adrien escorted her outside the building.

“Where are we going?” She asked as they passed by the huge shot in the lobby.

Adrien grimaced.

“What?”

“Sorry, I hate this shot so bad.”

“Why? It’s…” She closed her mouth.

He raised an eyebrow. “Please do finish this sentence.”

Marinette let out a snort. “I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that you are handsome.”

“No, but I sure like hearing it.”

Marinette let out a short laugh, unsure if he was being serious or not.

“But the poster is just too big. Like my father complains that I go out too much but then he milks the ‘bad boy’ image with advertisements.” He sighed. “Anyway, I won’t bore you with my family feud. Have you been to La Terrace Bonsecours before?”

“Oh no! It’s way out of my budget.”

“Good thing that I am paying then!”

“What?”

Before she could even say anything, he laughed and continued his way toward the restaurant.

It was more casual than Marinette had anticipated. Adrien had made reservations and they were sitting in a private section with a beautiful view.

“You didn’t have to…”

“Come on, Marinette. We haven’t eaten yet. It’s too early to say that’s too much.”

She blushed at his wholehearted expression. “I just… I don’t deserve…”

“Woah, let me stop you here. You deserve all you want. You started a fashion line at 19. Just that is incredible!”

The waiter took that moment to come to ask for their order and she welcomed this distraction. She didn’t stop Adrien from ordering a bottle of rose. If she wanted to continue this talk, she would need liquid courage.

It didn’t help that the sun was hitting Adrien’s just perfectly that made him look like he was just out of her wet dreams.

“So, have you thought about the main model?” She asked when the waiter went away.

“All business no fun, aren’t you?”

“We did talk about not coming only for leisure.”

“It could be only leisure.”

The low tone he had said this line was completely unfair, Marinette thought. _He is out there to kill me_. She didn’t have the time to answer that the waiter came back with the wine. She let Adrien do the tasting before the waiter poured them a glass.

She quickly took a sip.

“In all honesty, I haven’t looked into it yet. I’ve been busy all week long.”

“Oh?” _With who?_ Marinette almost asked.

“Yeah, the midterms just ended.”

She felt silly. “Of course, university. In business, right?”

“Actually I’m doing a double bachelor’s business and astrophysics. My father likes to forget about the second one.”

“What? How do you even have the time to do two bachelor’s?” Marinette exclaimed in pure astonishment.

“I ask myself this all the time,” he took a sip of wine. “I’m sorry I wasn’t as present as I should be. I’ll visit the office more next week. Most of my work will be during the summer so we’ll be working closely by end of June.”

She nodded slowly. “Still, it seems to be intense. Working at your father’s company plus doing two majors.”

He shrugged. “My father always wanted me to take over the company and it was my selfishness to request studying in astrophysics.”

Marinette opened her mouth to ask if he even liked business or if he even wanted to take over the company but the waiter interrupted to serve their food.

“Enough about me,” Adrien said after they both ate a little, “I’d like to hear about your success story.”

She shrugged and took a big gulp of wine. “There’s nothing much to say.”

“How did Miraculous started?”

She winced.

“I know it was first merchandise to promote the Ladybug and Chat Noir comics but how did it become a fashion line?”

She avoided his eye contact and stared at her food. “One day I was inspired and Nath…. Nathaniel encouraged me to put it out there. I didn’t expect people to want more.”

“Nathaniel Kurtzburg, the creator of the comics, right? He’s your friend?”

Marinette considered lying before sighing: “He’s my ex.”

There was a beat of silence. “Oh.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s kind of awkward."

“He created a comic based on you. It’s romantic.”

Marinette wrinkled her nose.

“It is!” He paused to take a sip of wine and Marinette mimicked, realized that her glass was full again. “I just don’t understand why he would put me as your love interest.”

Marinette chocked. “What?”

“Ladybug and Chat Noir have this love story going on, you can’t deny it.”

She bit her bottom lip, debating once more, to tell the truth, or not. “Nathaniel apparently had a crush on me since college. But I was too into…” _you_ “fashion to pay attention to him, or any boy around me for the matter. I think at first he created Chat Noir in your image, hoping to get my attention.”

Adrien hummed .“And it worked.”

“Hum?”

“You dated him.”

Marinette squirmed. “Yes, in a way.”

“In a way?”

“We dated in our second year of lycee. He confessed and I had no reason to say no.”

“And?”

“What?”

“You dated, so what happened?”

She snorted and took another long gulp of wine before saying: “We dated, it was okay. My heart wasn’t fully in it. We lasted until last year. Like you said, at first, Miraculous was just goods for his comic. I do love the story of Ladybug and Chat Noir… And it is flattering that Ladybug is based on me. But I never expected to have attention, especially not Gabriel Agreste’s attention with that brand…” Oh god, she was tipsy. She was talking too much.

“You say it as if it is a bad thing. You start with Miraculous and do your own thing later.”

“But now I feel like I owe it to my ex and it sucks.” She pouted.

Adrien laughed. “I know the feeling.”

“You do, Mister I sleep with a new girl every week?” _Somebody stops my mouth._

He made a derisive sound. “You believe those rumours?”

“They are everywhere! You have to be more convincing.”

He laughed but his whole body language was off.

“You know, it’s my fault if Chat Noir puns.” She blurted out. _Marinette, shut up._

Adrien looked at her curiously. “What?”

“I told Alya, my best friend, that you liked puns after we met… and it was… not what you would expect from a model. I said it was cute. Apparently, Nathaniel heard me and made Chat Noir pun.” She paused. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about, really. Ladybug and Chat Noir…” He paused to sip his wine. “They helped me. I was in a really dark place and it was a great… distraction. That’s how I discovered your brand.”

“Oh,” Marinette said because she didn’t know what to say otherwise.

“I had a crush on Ladybug.”

Marinette laughed, hoping her face wasn’t as red as she felt. “What? Why?”

“She’s fierce and confident, and she doesn’t take shit from anyone! That’s sexy!”

She wrinkled her nose.

“What?”

She stared. “What?”

“You made a face.”

“It’s just… something Nathaniel used to say to me.”

“What?”

“That I am Ladybug,”

Adrien took the time to look at her. “You inspired her.”

“But I don’t feel like her.”

“I think you’re cute enough.”

Marinette hid her face with a last bite of food.

“And I can only be grateful that Chat Noir is a man of culture. His puns are purrfectly divine.”

She groaned. “I had hoped you had grown out of those.”

“Oh no! That would have been a _cat_ astrophe! You said it was cute!”

She blushed. “It was unexpected!”

“Still cute.” He winked and she was pretty sure she let out a squeal.

She took the time to drink all of her water, hoping to wash away the alcohol. They stayed a moment talking about mundane things, Adrien throwing a pun here and there.

She couldn’t deny that she was having fun. Alone with him, she saw back the young nice teen she had once met. Once in a while, he’d throw a smile at her and Marinette could feel the butterflies come back with vengeance.

Oh god, it’s too easy to fall under his spell.

They finished by exit the restaurant, Marinette feeling less tipsy. She hoped no one at work would realize she had wine.

“Marinette,” Adrien said as they saw the building looming, “I know you said it would be unprofessional to ask for your contact number but… I really enjoyed lunch today.”

She bit the inside of her lip. “I did too.”

“Could we be friends?”

She blinked, disappointment washing over her. _That’s what I get for getting my hopes high_. “Yeah! Sure! Friends.”

He smiled his sunshine smile and Marinette died a little.

She wasn’t sure how she managed to work that afternoon. But she got home and screamed in her pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of things are hinted in here about Marinette's past!  
> Luka will sadly not make an appearance in this, he's only mentioned as someone Marinette went on a date with but couldn't really feel 100% into. 
> 
> Terrace Bonsecours exist but in Montreal, Canada. I just needed a name for a restaurant and that was the first that pop up in my mind.
> 
> Also, remember kids, do not drink when you have to work in the next few hours! (I did it once and regretted so much lol ~~but then again I was with my boss so...~~ )
> 
> Next chapter: Marinette and Adrien's friendship begins and Marinette hears some rumours...


	4. Rumours has it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rumours, a lot of them, are flying around.

Marinette was screwed. Completely and utterly screwed.

Starting a friendship with Adrien was the worst idea she could’ve possibly have.

Because now, most of her days started with him sending her a cat meme or a pun. She would then send him pictures of Tikki and he would send her pictures of Plagg, his black cat.

“A demon spawn,” he always said.

They were friends. They talked about their favourite tv shows and debated on which fast food restaurant was best. He would complain about school and she would complain about ridiculous deadlines.

Things at work had stayed professional but with Adrien dropping by her office just to bring her coffee had started to rumour mill.

“Are you sure you guys are only friends?” Carole always teased her.

And that was the thing. She wasn’t sure anymore. Things were getting blurry and Marinette saw signals when she wasn’t sure she wanted to see them.

In tabloids, Adrien was still often seen with models but Marinette didn’t dare to ask him about it.

“Oh, he was so rough last night! He’s clearly stressed these days!”

Marinette rolled her eyes at the voice.

“Hi, Marinette!”

Marinette forced a smile on her face. “Hi, Lila! Are you here for a fitting?”

The model smiled that overly sugary smile of hers. “Oh no. Paul from the main design department needed me. I am his muse after all!”

The other girls surrounding her, her lackeys as Marinette liked to call them in her head, giggled.

“Lila, you are so lucky to inspire people so much,” lackey number 1 said.

“And Adrien is so into you.” Lackey number 2 added.

At first, Marinette could agree that she had disliked Lila for how loudly she claimed she kept sleeping with Adrien. It was completely petty jealousy. That was until she learned by Pierre that ‘accidents’ tended to happen around Lila. Models losing their balance, designers having their pieces destroyed. There were two categories in Gabriel, those who loved and worshiped Lila and those who couldn’t stand her. And since both Pierre and Carole disliked her, Marinette was siding with her mentors.

“Talking about Adrien, Marinette, have you seen him?” Lila asked. “He mentioned last night he needed to see you about the campaign.”

Marinette blinked, unsure if she could trust Lila’s information. “No, I haven’t seen him today.”

“You should text him, but he might just be too winded up from last night.”

The lackeys giggled.

Marinette shrugged. “He’ll pop up sooner or later. Thanks for telling me.”

“No problem.”

Once Lila and her lackey were out of view, Marinette grimaced. She shouldn’t let Lila get under her skin. _I’m only his friend. I have no control over who he sleeps with. If he wants to sleep with snakes, that’s on him._

She repeated her mantra as she went back to her office.

“Boo!”

She jumped out of her skin. “Adrien!”

He laughed. “You make it too easy!”

She raised an eyebrow at him, a hand on her hip. “What do you want?”

He raised his hands in surrender. “I brought coffee!”

She let out a scoff but took the coffee cup on her desk with a tiny smile. “I knew there was a reason why I kept you around.”

“What? It isn’t because of my rugged looks?” He replied, wiggling his eyebrow.

“No, I have enough of those every time I pass by the lobby.”

To that, Adrien groaned. “I thought I couldn’t hate that poster more, but that new one is terrible.”

“The new one is definitively not your best shot. I wonder why your father chose it.”

“Beats me.” He then smirked. “But you didn’t deny that I do have rugged looks.”

She rolled her eyes but she knew she was blushing. “Down, kitty,” she said, playfully shoving him away. “If you have nothing to say, go away.”

“Actually I am here for work.” He sat down at her desk and she sat on the opposite side. “The campaign has been decided and you won’t like it.”

She felt a pang of jealousy realizing that Lila had been right but pushed away. “What I won’t like?”

“As a promotion for the line, it’s been decided to do a special collaboration with Ladybug and Chat Noir and…”

“No.”

“Marinette…”

“You’re telling me I’ll have to work with Nath?”

“No, you won’t. You just have to choose the piece you want to promote, we will show the design to Nathaniel, he will draw a special comic to promote the brand. You don’t have to talk to him the whole time.”

“Then who will?”

“I will.”

Marinette’s jaw dropped.

“I am the one in charge of that promo.”

“It’s even worst,” Marinette mumbled.

“What?”

She sighed. “Ok. It is a good promo! But I don’t like it.”

They stayed a moment in silence. “Can I ask why you’re avoiding him?”

She winced. “The things following the breakup weren’t… pretty.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s all the information I’ll give you.”

“You’ll have to tell me one day.”

“Not sober.”

He smiled. “I’ll remember that.” He stood up and went to the door before he stopped. “There’s this party this weekend, some big names from the industry will be there… A friend of mine is also DJing so I have extra tickets… Would you like to come?”

Marinette bit her lips. Since the start of their friendship, Marinette had avoided going out with Adrien for anything more than lunches. She was scared of either seeing something or doing something she’ll regret.

“Alya could also come, I’ve been dying to meet her.”

She fidgeted. “She wants to meet you too.” _It should be fine with Alya as a buffer_. “Yeah, I’d like to go. I’ll confirm with her.”

Adrien’s whole face seemed to shine. “Cool! Just tell me and I’ll put you two on the guest list!”

Marinette felt like she was going to regret it.

-

Alya was in a bad mood. Even Tikki hadn’t gone out of Marinette’s room.

“Spill,” Marinette said as she sat next to her with their dinner.

“What?”

“You’ve been acting weird. What’s eating you up?”

Alya sighed. “Nino’s in town.”

Marinette didn’t say anything for a moment. “Are you going to meet him?”

“He wants to.”

“Do you want to?”

Alya grumbled and shoved food in her mouth. Marinette didn’t pry and started eating too.

“Adrien invited me to a party this weekend.”

That took Alya’s attention. “Are you going?”

“Only if you are coming with me.”

“Girl!”

“I do not trust myself alone with him. Especially if there’s alcohol around.”

“What would be so wrong with being alone with him?”

“I don’t want to be just another conquest on his list! It’s already bad enough that I have to hear Lila talking about how rough he can be.”

Alya grimaced.

They ate in silence before Alya declared: “I’ll see Nino if you dance with Adrien during the party.”

“What?”

“Come on! I fight my demons, you fight yours. It’s only fair.”

“Fine,” Marinette pouted. “But just one dance.”

“As long as you take the time to grind on those six-packs.”

“Alya!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, the chapter is short but I swear the clubbing chapter will be worth it! ;)
> 
> I keep putting seeds about backstories that I'm not explaining lol Eventually...
> 
> Next: Marinette and Alya go clubbing with Adrien, met a familiar face and shit goes down.


End file.
